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Mother Charged With Neglect After Daughter Dies In Valparaiso Pond

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 32-year-old woman has been charged with neglect, after her 3-year-old daughter died in a pond in Valparaiso, Ind., on Monday.

Tansia Perkins has been charged with felony neglect of a dependent, according to Valparaiso police.

Tansia Perkins
Tansia Perkins is charged with felony neglect, after her 3-year-old daughter was found dead in a pond in Valparaiso, Ind. (Credit: Porter County Sheriff)

Police said Perkins' 3-year-old daughter was reported missing around 9:30 p.m. Monday on the 2700 block of Roanoke Court.

Valparaiso firefighters and a Porter County Sheriff's K9 unit were brought in to help search for the girl. Around 10:15 p.m., the K9 tracked the girl to a nearby pond, and she was found unresponsive in the water.

Police said paramedics began CPR, and the girl was taken to Porter Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Officers interviewed Perkins after her daughter's death, and she provided inconsistent statements about how long it took to notify police her daughter was missing, prompting detectives and the Porter County Prosecutor's office to file charges.

Perkins was being held at the Porter County Jail, according to police.

Valparaiso police said the case remains under investigation.

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